Scotland has produced an astonishingly high number of men and women whose lives have inspired and changed the world. In the field of science, medicine and philosophy, in literature, music and the visual arts: in military affairs, the church and in sport, Scots have shaped the very way we live and think. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is the nation's collection of portraits of these men and women.. Inspired by these  portraits, this CD offers a vivid experience of a vital cultural life that continues to inform and enrich the new Scotland. In the CD booklet there are reproductions of the portraits of Mary Queen of Scots: Prince Charles Edward Stuart: Flora MacDonald: Robert Burns: Niel Gow: Sir Walter Scott: William Marshall: Scott Skinner: John MacGregor: Violet Jacob: Campbell of Glenlyon: Thomas Carlyle: Charles Rennie Mackintosh: Charles 1: The Duke of Montrose.

Musicians playing on this album  include: Aly Bain, Alison Kinnaird, Aileen Carr, Brian Miller, Scott Skinner, Alasdair White, Pat Kilbride, Flora MacNeil, Alan Reid, Rob van Sante, Mike Katz, Battlefield Band, Dougie Pincock, Pete Clark, Davy Steel, Neil Johnstone, Martin MacLeod, Jim Leighton, John McCusker.